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Hi, I’m Dr. Vanessa Boyce
Death has always been my biggest teacher.
I lost many close family members at a young age and faced financial and emotional instability for a long time.
My first job was at a nursing home and I later went on to become an ER and ICU nurse.
While I was still in nursing school, my aunt developed lung cancer. When I visited her in the hospital a nurse was coaxing her to get up into the chair. She looked at me and asked, “do I really have to do this?”
I began explaining to her the importance of sitting up to prevent pneumonia and blood clots. She shook her head and waved her hand across the room and said, “no, do I have to do this?”
I realized she no longer wanted to continue chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
This was before our small town had hospice services, so her daughter and I managed to get a hospital bed and oxygen. We took her home and cared for her until her death.
My young adult life taught me the importance of mental health and spiritual fulfillment.
When I went to medical school, I was shocked that I received NO formal end-of-life training.
